Five die on the roads in past 24 hours

Five men have been killed on Irish roads in four separate crashes since yesterday.

It comes as motorists in the North are being warned to drive with caution following overnight snow and freezing conditions.

Two men were killed this morning in County Donegal when the car they were in crashed at the Slab Road junction at Burt shortly before 10am.

The men - aged 55 and 24 years died at the scene - the driver of the second car, a 59-year-old woman, is in a stable condition in Letterkenny General Hospital.

Less than two hours earlier - a car travelling southbound on the M7 crashed North of Portlaoise, just after junction 17.

The driver and sole occupant of the car - a 26-year-old man died when the car went up in flames.

Elsewhere, a 37-year-old man died after his tractor crashed in Co Down in the early hours of this morning on the Banbridge road in Dromara.

And last night a 60-year-old man was killed in County Donegal when he was knocked down in Carraig Airt after 8pm.

Meanwhile, gardaí are investigating a road crash in Kerry.

It is understood a car with two passengers hit a tree some four miles outside Kenmare - on the Kenmare to Bantry road - this morning.

Both people have been taken to Kerry General Hospital where one of them is reported to be in a serious condition.